#that is prime canadian beef right there

[elitehoe]

I'm being so brave about seeing Kenny in those jeans

[mythosphere]

"Canadian history is boring" yeah you're right but also what if you were wrong. Let me tell a tale, friends, about a conspiracy theory that only Canadians over the age of 50 really know or care about. Let me tell a tale, friends, of the Avro Arrow and the tragic death of Canadian aerospace engineering.

The year was 1953. The production company was A.V. Roe Canada. At the time, Canada had only produced one commercial interceptor aircraft: the Avro CF-100 Canuck (lovingly referred to as the Clunk). It was...fine, I guess. It worked. But Canada was in the process of joining NORAD, and it was the geographic shield between the US and USSR: any bombers carrying nukes would cross Canadian airspace. The RCAF needed a bombing interceptor.

Enter the AVRO CF-105 Arrow.

You guys don't understand how awesome the Arrow was. It was SLEEK, it was MODERN, it was the PRIDE of a booming Canadian aerospace industry. It was the prototype fighter jet of its time, able to outcompete with American and British interceptors, and set to break both altitude and speed records. Canada was so proud of its aircraft that when the first prototype was ready, they expected a crowd of 13,000 to watch the first test (too bad Sputnik launched the same day). In 1955, even America wanted in (this was unheard of, since America prioritized its own aerospace above all, and rarely purchased planes it didn't make itself).

So where did the Arrow go?

We got rid of it. Sorry, not just got rid of it. We destroyed everything to do with it.

Now, what a lot of the public didn't understand was that the Arrow was expensive, and while it could have outcompeted the American Convair Delta Dart released in 1959, the plane would have been mid at best and defunct at worst by the time America improved on its own Mach 2 interceptor. What's more, ICBMs were becoming a thing, rendering interceptors in general relatively moot. The general consensus was clear: it wasn't worth the money to produce and improve. That was the excuse Prime Minister Diefenbaker (aka Dief the Chief, the anti-Kennedy, of Diefenbunker fame) used to order the end of the Avro Arrow program. This was understandable, generally.

What wasn't understandable was the death of everything to do with it. After unsuccessful attempts to sell the program to America and Britain, Diefenbaker ordered not only the closure of the program, but the complete scrapping of assembly lines, prototypes, classified documents, schematics: everything was destroyed. Only one Arrow went unaccounted for (some people think an air marshal stole it), but the rest were trashed. Allegedly, not a single intact prototype remains, only pieces and replicas on display.

Why would Diefenbaker do this? The conspiracies are endless. Some think a Soviet mole compromised the program and Diefenbaker ordered the complete destruction to prevent the Soviets from gaining this technology. Some people think the US manipulated intelligence to prevent Canadian aerospace from overtaking American aerospace. Sane people think that Canadian intelligence recognized a Soviet transition away from bomber planes, and acted sensibly, if a bit to the extreme.

What we do know is after the death of the Arrow, the Canadian aerospace industry basically collapsed overnight. About 15,000 engineers were now out of work, and many fled to the US to work for Boeing, Convair, NASA, and basically any other aerospace industry job they could find. Diefenbaker went on to have seriously funny beef with JFK, and the Avro Arrow was lost to the annals of aviation history. Rest in pieces, Avro Arrow.

[best-sports-bar-in-edmonton]

Savoring the Best Steak Sandwich at a Canadian-Themed Sports Bar and Grill in Edmonton

Introduction:

Edmonton, the vibrant capital city of Alberta, is not only known for its stunning landscapes and bustling urban life but also for its thriving culinary scene. When it comes to combining the love of sports with a fine dining experience, there's no place quite like a Canadian-themed sports bar and grill. Today, we're here to introduce you to the perfect fusion of delicious cuisine and sports entertainment – the Steak Sandwich. Join us as we explore the best sports bar in Edmonton that serves up this culinary delight in style.

**The Best Sports Bar in Edmonton: A Canadian-Themed Gem**

Nestled in the heart of Edmonton, this Canadian-themed sports bar and grill is more than just a place to catch the game. It's an experience that combines the warmth of Canadian hospitality with the thrill of sports entertainment. Whether you're a die-hard sports fan or simply looking for an upscale place to enjoy a meal, this fine dine sports bar in Edmonton has something for everyone.

**Savoring the Star of the Menu: The Steak Sandwich**

Now, let's dive right into the star of the show – the Steak Sandwich. This mouthwatering creation is a testament to the culinary expertise of the chefs at this Canadian-themed sports bar and grill. What sets it apart is not just the quality of the ingredients but also the skillful preparation.

**The Ingredients: Quality and Freshness**

The foundation of any great dish lies in the ingredients, and this steak sandwich doesn't disappoint. Prepared with prime cuts of Canadian beef, each bite is a celebration of the rich, hearty flavors that have made Canadian beef famous worldwide. The meat is seasoned to perfection and cooked to your preferred level of doneness, ensuring that every bite is a savory delight.

**The Perfect Balance: Flavor and Texture**

What truly elevates this steak sandwich is the artful balance of flavors and textures. A succulent and tender steak, perfectly grilled to your liking, is complemented by a medley of ingredients. Crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and thinly sliced onions add a refreshing crunch, while a generous slathering of tangy aioli or barbecue sauce ties everything together. All of this is sandwiched between a fresh, toasted bun, creating a harmonious combination that tantalizes your taste buds.

**A Side of Sports Entertainment**

As you savor each delectable bite of your steak sandwich, the Canadian-themed sports bar and grill offers you the perfect backdrop – multiple large-screen TVs broadcasting live sports events from around the world. Whether it's hockey, football, or baseball, you can catch all the action in a lively and communal atmosphere. It's the ideal place to root for your favorite team or join fellow sports enthusiasts in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

**The Fine Dining Experience**

What truly sets this sports bar apart is the fine dining experience it offers. Attentive and friendly staff, a well-curated drinks menu featuring local craft beers and cocktails, and a cozy ambiance make it the go-to destination for those looking to elevate their sports-watching experience. The Steak Sandwich, served with a side of perfectly crispy fries or a fresh salad, is just one example of the gourmet offerings that await you.

**Conclusion: A Winning Combination**

In the bustling culinary landscape of Edmonton, this Canadian-themed sports bar and grill stands out as the best sports bar Edmonton has to offer. Their Steak Sandwich, a culinary masterpiece in its own right, is just one reason why patrons keep coming back for more. So, if you're in Edmonton and looking for a fine dining experience that combines the thrill of sports, head on over to this gem and savor the Steak Sandwich that will undoubtedly leave your taste buds cheering.

[college-girl199328]

Next Bank of Canada governor would stay focused on fighting inflation: Poilievre | CBC News

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his choice for Bank of Canada governor would be someone focused entirely on keeping annual inflation at its two percent target. The opposition leader made the comments on Friday. He stood by the promise he made during the Conservative leadership campaign to fire the current central bank governor, Tiff Macklem, should he become prime minister.

"He will be replaced with someone who has experience in the central banking system that will have as his or her singular objective to keep inflation at the two percent target while protecting financial stability," Poilievre said during an end-of-year news conference on Parliament Hill.

"I think that is a reasonable thing to request," Poilievre added that a Conservative government would cut spending and reduce the deficit to help bring down inflation so that higher interest rates are no longer necessary while leaving monetary policy up to the independent central bank.

"The right policy — and the one that I would implement — is to bring the deficit down, and in the process, bring inflation down," Poilievre said. "Right now, the cost of government is increasing the cost of living."

Appointed to a seven-year term as head of the Bank of Canada in June 2020, Macklem has become a key target for Poilievre, first during his run for the Conservative administration and now in his push to become prime minister.

That has come as Canadians have spent most of the past year grappling with the highest levels of inflation seen in nearly 40 years, with the rising cost of living associated with more expensive groceries and other goods exacerbating pre-existing affordability concerns.

Experts have blamed many factors, including global events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supply-chain disruptions. But there's also been an increasing focus on domestic factors, including fiscal and monetary stimulus during the pandemic.

The federal government responded to COVID-19 with many pandemic support programs that delivered billions of dollars to people and businesses to mitigate financial losses from lockdowns.

The Bank of Canada also stimulated the economy by slashing interest rates to near zero. It also bought government bonds to lower rates further and facilitate spending, a strategy followed by other central banks worldwide.

That stimulus was likely excessive, the Bank of Canada now acknowledges. Poilievre said his beef with Macklem is not with the Bank of Canada governor's monetary policy, which involves setting interest rates to help keep inflation under control. He instead argued that Macklem strayed into fiscal policy by "printing money" to buy government bonds, which he characterized as support for Liberal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"He's supposed to be in charge of monetary policy and not fiscal policy," Poilievre said. "And he printed money to fund those deficits, and he did so in an inflationary environment. And that is why I believe he needs to be replaced."

Poilievre also criticized Macklem for having promised in July 2020 that interest rates would remain "low for a long time." The Conservative leader said that led many Canadians to take on large mortgages they could no longer afford.

The Bank of Canada has raised interest rates seven times this year in an attempt to get skyrocketing inflation under control. The central bank's benchmark interest rate is currently 4.25 percent, compared to 0.25 percent in July 2020.

[chophouse22]

Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef

Share your experiences and recipes for Japanese Wagyu Beef on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, utilizing the hashtags #NapoleonWagyu, #NapoleonEats, and #NapoleonGrill. Food supply & takeout is still obtainable from La Pizza e La Pasta. Check out recipes for Bistecca alla Fiorentina – perfect wagyu beef canada for those porterhouse Wagyu cuts. Remove the pan and set aside to relaxation for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This will permit the juices to circulate back by way of the meat.

Great-taste is all the time on our thoughts when creating our food for folks to enjoy. It’s an expensive, time- and labour-intensive breed to raise. Costly feed supplements help ship superior fat and flavour. The breed comes into its prime later than most beef cattle, with 2-1/2 to three years being the perfect wagyu beef canada age . The fast food chain officially unveiled its new "Wagyu Steakhouse Burger" on Monday. The premium menu item contains a 6.4 ounce single patty made from 52% American Wagyu and 48% ground beef, and is topped with American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, pink onion and a special burger sauce.

Frustrated by no-shows, eating places in Quebeec are calling on the provincial authorities to offer them the facility to cost folks for not honouring their dinner reservations. Last yr, health-care staff logged more hours in extra time than they had in a decade, in accordance with a new report detailing the influence the COVID-19 pandemic had on Canadian health-care employees. World leaders of the G20 concluded a summit in Indonesia at a time when nearly all member nations are battling excessive inflation. While Canada's has flattened, a CTVNews.ca analysis appears at how we examine with other nations, some of which continue to experience skyrocketing inflation. The daughter of a lacking Chinese human rights defender is pleading with the Vietnamese and Chinese governments to disclose her father's whereabouts and permit him to journey to Canada.

While it's true, additionally it is an understatement of epic proportions. Japanese Wagyu Beef can be described as buttery, melt in your mouth, succulent, and rich. It has the texture of completely cooked pork stomach but the beef taste is unlike anything you might have ever experienced, even with the costliest tomahawk or t-bone steak. Like how scotch coats the tongue, a chunk of Japanese Wagyu Beef will do the identical. Generally speaking, beef is beef, a steak is a steak, especially when you observe the Canadian and American grading charts. You know that from the spine of the cow down and outward the much less tender the meat can get, but that is not so in Japanese Wagyu.

However, some manufacturing modifications to packaging or ingredients may be pending updates on our web site. Get a weekly serving of ideas for how to experience Calgary's restaurants, bars and markets by signing up for Avenue’s Food & Drink Newsletter. She actually loves consuming out and making an attempt new eating places.

The welfare of our animals is our premier concern, so we imagine in elevating them as naturally as potential. Our cattle are grazed on the luxurious green grasses of our Huron County farm within the rising seasons of spring, summer season and fall. In the winter months our cattle are fed grass hay and some grain pellets. Browse 1,855 wagyu beef stock wagyu beef canada photos and images obtainable, or seek for beef jerky or raw beef to find extra great inventory pictures and photos. Finally, the Tajima Wagyu we feature is a mix of Japanese Wagyu and Australian Angus.

That is why Wagyu beef is discovering its method into the repertoires of Gourmet cooks and fine eating places around the world. Through cautious genetic selection and feeding, Wagyu producers can create an experience for connoisseurs unmatched by any other beef. From government cooks to the weekend barbecue fan, Wagyu provides a stage of high quality that might be enjoyed by everyone.

[ehghtyseven]

gratuitous jamie benn appreciation post

[al-the-remix]

We all know how the Pens are looking this season. More importantly how are Siddy's tiddys looking?

Sid’s tidds are always 100% prime Canadian beef, though we haven't seen much of them yet this season lol.

Jokes aside, I don’t often post my hockey thoughts here because I find people tend to get up in arms overfast. But I’ve been mulling over the pen’s situation a lot during this offseason so this is my general outlook going into this season if anyone’s interested:

I think we’ve got to give the team a little more time before everyone starts losing their marbles. I mean at the very least I don’t think you can ever truly count out a team that has both Crosby and Malkin on it. 

That being said, I can see them finishing 5th-7th in the division this season, and before anyone crawls up my butt about that, I think it’s potentially a good thing. First off if there’s ever a year to hit rock bottom it’s this joke of a season. The competition's tough, but there are only 56 games. It’s going to be fun hockey for sure but I don’t believe most of us will look back on this season the way we would a regular one. 

Most pens discourse I see goes down something like this: 

Point A: “The Penguins have had 14 years of postseason runs more than double the length of the runner up! People should feel grateful for this and not complain!”

Point B: “That may be true, but it doesn’t invalidate the fact that losing our playoff streak feels like crap.”

And I think that both of those points are valid, but each has a caveat that gets overlooked. Starting with Point A: 

Long postseason runs are an amazing achievement and are exciting for everyone involved but they have their downside and that is that the longer your at the top of the league you’re at the bottom of the draft, which compounded over 14 years is not insignificant. That’s a really long time to not be thinking about the future of the franchise. Guentzel and Marino are great additions and I’m happy they’ve been signed long term, but neither of them are going to be “the next guy” for the pens and if the team wants to survive the end of the Crosby and Malkin era they’re going to have to find that next guy during the next 7 years while those two are hopefully still around.

 That brings me to Point B:

And this is really my biggest takeaway here and that is yes bottoming out can definitely feel like crap, but in many cases, it can be significantly better to be doing it sooner rather than later. GMJR has already gutted the team of most of the 2016/2017 guys, we’ve already lost too many top draft picks than I’m comfortable with, if we had a shot at winning the draft lottery or got close to it a few years in a row, that could be a really great thing for the team. I don’t think it even has to be a full rebuild, 3 years of roughing it could make a major difference in let’s say the 2024-2027 seasons.     

Now, funnily enough, the most likely thing to get in the way of this plan other than GMJR is Sid and Geno--not that I think that they don’t understand this or want bad things for the team, but it’s generally not easy for star players to go through rebuilds and the don’t always survive it. On top of that, they both clearly believe they can still win a cup the way they are now, and I also believe that they could. (again, you can never count out Sid and Geno) I just don’t know how likely it is at this point. It really all comes down if they’re going to keep playing it shot-term gain for long term pain by exchanging top draft picks in trades and hoping to get that lucky combination of players. It just doesn’t seem to be working for them right now and I’m not sure how continuing to make it into the playoffs only to get kicked out in the first round is going to help the team long term.

Remember two years ago when all these teams came out of nowhere seemingly at random and beat out all the older established “good” teams for spots in the finals? Well, it was a cute meme, but not actually all that random at all. When everyone was paying attention to teams like the Pens and the Caps the teams that had been “bad” for the last 3-10 years were quietly rebuilding and collecting 18-year-old draft picks like they were the hottest new Pokemon cards.

(At the very least not making the playoffs this season may start the process of shaking GMJR from the organization.) 

Anyways, I’ve been collecting a lot of Penguins/Senators/Red Wings data recently to compare and contrast. (as many of you can probably tell from what I’ve been posting that’s where my head’s been recently) Because each team has gone through high points low points and rebuilds recently and each one is at a different stage right now. If anyone’s interested in me compiling it into a post and explain how it supports my thinking above I’d be happy to. I really like this kind of stuff, but it might take a hot minute to organize it all for public consumption, and tbh I don’t want to go through all of that just for people to get annoyed about it 😅 

TL;DR There are just so many aspects of hockey to be excited about and I don’t think the possibility of missing the playoffs this year should be seen as a totally negative thing, in fact, the team may benefit from not focusing on a cup run for a year or two. Either way, I’m going to enjoy getting to watch hockey this season.

[grrunks]

Howdy! Care to answer 2003 (What do you think about Interstella 5555?) 2004 (Are there any lyrics in particular that stuck with you?) and 2005 (What do you think about the Human After All album?) Best wishes from a fellow Canadian fan!

Ahhh thank u!!! Hope youre doing alright amidst everything!!

2003: i Loved I5555 when i was younger!! Its been a long time since ive seen it, id love to rewatch it now, but i love the idea of an album movie in general, and this one is so wild, in that its like, entirely unrelated to the album? At least afaik, but i still love its aesthetics as well as the story, and the Digital Love sequence is augh, just delightful

2004: in this moment i briefly thought about "Prime Time Of Your Life, live it, now, prime time of your life!!!" but came right back to Fragments of Time haha, guess thats just whats on my noggin

2005: it is the last one in my Daft Punk relisten that im doing lmao. I dont Dislike it, but i do like it The Least. That being said, everything they did with it in A2007 is 👌👌👌 so good, and i thoroughly enjoy their beefed up versions there. Its been a while, so this answer might be different tomorrow, but its sound was just a bit too harsh for me in the past

[dustedmagazine]

Dust, Volume 6, Number 11

HAAi

As it was with September, so it is with October. After what felt like the dam breaking on all those albums optimistically held back by the pandemic, October continued to rain down releases and there was no shortage of them to cover. As ever, if diversity’s your thing, we have it: From pimp-rap to free jazz, death-metal to AM gold, jungle to Azerbaijani guitar jams, we got it all for you to peruse. Contributions this go ‘round come care of Ray Garraty, Ian Mathers, Bill Meyer, Jonathan Shaw, Andrew Forell, Tim Clarke, Justin Cober-Lake, Patrick Masterson and MIchael Rosenstein.

AllBlack — No Shame 3 (Play Runners Association/Empire)

Just when we thought that pimp-rap was going out of business, AllBlack blessed us with No Shame 3. It is a lot of what it claims: playfulness with no shame, ignorant beefs, endless balling during California nights and showing off in earnest. AllBlack alludes to the fact that even though he’s getting that rap check, he’s far from quitting the pimp game: “Made 40K in eight days, that was just off pimpin'.” But behind this happy façade is something darker that’s looming on: “As I got older, I ain't scared, I guess I'm cool with death / You speak the truth and they gon' knock you down like Malcolm X.” While admitting that rap is a cutthroat game, AllBlack is only one of the few artists of a younger generation who is ready to pay respects in his songs to the OGs — the godfathers of pimp-rap, to Willie D, Dru Down and Too $hort. The standout track here is “Pizza Rolls,” where DaBoii and Cash Kidd drop in to deliver the funniest lines. 

Ray Garraty

Bardo Pond — Adrop/Circuit VIII (Three Lobed Recordings)

Adrop / Circuit VIII by Bardo Pond

There are plenty of reasons to do small, limited runs of certain releases, in music as in other artistic fields, ranging from the brutally practical/logistical to the aesthetic, but when the material released in that fashion is good enough, it can be a relief to see it given further life (and not just digitally). This year saw the mighty Three Lobed Recordings (who we featured in an anniversary Listed here) has seen fit to reissue on vinyl two Bardo Pond LP-length pieces that were originally issued in limited run series back in 2006 and 2008. They were in good (and varied) company then, but resonate together in a pretty special way, whether it’s the tripartite Adrop wandering from gnarled, crepuscular grind to violin-powered epiphany or back down to delicate nocturnal acoustics. The longer Circuit VIII doesn’t have as distinct phases but still builds to an all-time Bardo Pond-style crescendo, featuring Isabel Sollenberger’s only vocals of the duo. Even with a band and label this consistently on point, these particular recordings are worth the wider dissemination, whether considered as archival releases or just a hell of a double album.

Ian Mathers

John Butcher & Rhodri Davies — Japanese Duets (Weight of Wax)

Japanese Duets by John Butcher & Rhodri Davies

There’s a bittersweetness about Japanese Duets that’s as pungent as the puckered, perfectly placed reports that English saxophonist John Butcher sometimes punches out of his horns. This is the third in an ongoing series of download-only releases that Butcher, idled by COVID-19, has culled from his archive, The Memory of Live Music, and the unbearable lightness of its format, only accentuates the sense of lost opportunities and experiences. One of the things that a touring musician gains in exchange for their embrace of uncertainty is the chance to go to some unlikely place and undergo something extraordinary. The four-page PDF that comes with this download reproduces photos from Butcher and Welsh harpist Rhodri Davies’ 2004 tour of Japan, which took in swanky museums and shoebox-sized jazz cafes; each image looks like a moment worth living. But if all you can do is hear the evidence, that’s not exactly settling. This improvising duo was audibly on a roll, pushing reeds and strings to sound quite unlike their usual selves, and challenging each other to move beyond logic to the rightness of jointly made and imagined moments. Thanks, guys, for sharing the memories. 

Bill Meyer

Ceremonial Bloodbath — The Tides of Blood (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

The Tides of Blood by Ceremonial Bloodbath

Yikes — talk about truth in advertising. Canadian death-metal band Ceremonial Bloodbath delivers the goods promised by their moniker and this new LP’s title. It’s a repellent record created by dudes that play in a bunch of other death-metal bands based in British Columbia: Grave Infestation, Encoffinate (not Encoffination), Nightfucker and numerous others that tunnel even further under the broader public’s attention. Give these guys credit for their single-mindedness: None of those bands is likely to make you feel any happier about the human condition. Neither will listening to The Tides of Blood, but it’s a better record than any that those other acts have released. The songs are low-tech, dissonant and about as subtle as a bulldozer’s blade knocking through your front door. In other words, the record is largely in line with what we’ve come to expect from the death-metal recently dug up by Sentient Ruin Laboratories, and for a certain kind of listener, that’s a good thing. Check out “The Throat of Belial,” which comes on hard and fast, then downshifts into second gear and unleashes a tangled, coruscating sort-of-guitar-solo. The mechanical chug reasserts itself, then speeds up again, unleashing steam and the smell of something… organic. The song has a ruthless momentum, as does the rest of the record. Pretty good Halloween music if you want to scare all the trick-or-treaters off your lawn.

Jonathan Shaw

Cut Worms – Nobody Lives Here Anymore (Jagjaguwar)

Max Clarke evokes a wistful nostalgia for an America that existed perhaps only in the mind, the warm campfire glow of an era personified by The Everly Brothers’ harmonies, the twanging guitars of country rock and 1970s singer songwriters. On his new album as Cut Worms, Clarke literally doubles down on his musical project. Nobody Lives Here Anymore comes in at 17 songs that, while individually fine enough, meld into one another and gradually fade from the memory as the album unwinds. Clarke never quite transcends his influences and is not a strong enough lyricist to engage at this length. The effect is similar to that of The Traveling Wilburys where the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts. That said, Clarke is engaging company with a voice that splits the difference between the aforementioned siblings, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. He has an ear for a melody and skillfully recreates an AM radio sound that trips the memory for anyone who grew up with this music either as inescapable background of their lives or soundtrack for their teen dreams and heartaches. 

Andrew Forell

Dead End America — Crush the Machine (Southern Lord)

Crush the Machine by Dead End America

This new EP by Dead End America (DEA — see what they did there?) comprises four short, piledriving hardcore songs, all directly addressed to the current occupant of the Oval Office. “Bullet for 45 (Straight From a .45)” neatly captures the EP’s essential sentiments, and also suggests the general level of restraint exercised by the whole enterprise. Hint: Restraint and nuance are not Dead End America’s strong suits. That’s not surprising, given the folks involved. The band and record were conceived by Steve “Thee Hippy Slayer” Hanford, late of Poison Idea, and of this world. It’s pretty wonderful that this is some of the last music Hanford produced — pissed off and irreverent to the very end. Additional contributors include Nick “Rex Everything” Oliveri (the Dwarves), Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), Blaine Cook (the Fartz) and Tony Avila (World of Lies). Sort of remarkable that a record including players from all those legendarily vile, venomous bands doesn’t just spontaneously self-combust; maybe it helps that they focus their collective rage on such a deserving target. RIP Steve Hanford. The wrong people are dying.

Jonathan Shaw

Chloe Alison Escott — Stars Under Contract (Chapter Music)

Stars Under Contract by Chloe Alison Escott

Chloe Alison Escott is the frontwoman of Tasmanian post-punk duo The Native Cats, and her pre-transition solo album, The Long O, released on Bedroom Suck back in 2014, received justified plaudits upon its release. (It remains a low-key favorite of mine.) New solo piano-and-vocals album Stars Under Contract was all recorded in one day by Evelyn Ida Morris (Pikelet), which lends these performances an on-the-fly liveliness. For the most part, it’s rollicking fun, with some wryly funny lyrics that betray Escott’s sideline in standup comedy. This performative confidence comes through in early highlight “There’s Money in the Basement,” which has the jaunty barroom bounce of “Benny and the Jets.” Later, Escott reaches for the heavens on single “Back Behind the Eyes Again,” with a truly heartbreaking piano progression. Though the 16 tracks are wisely interspersed with short instrumentals such as “What Are You Reaching For,” “Evening, Sunshine” and “Playfair,” 43 minutes is a lot of piano-and-vocals songs to get through in a single sitting. On closing track “Permanent Thief,” there’s a tantalizing flash of drum machine and bass, which could be a nod there’s another Native Cats album on the way soon. 

Tim Clarke

Eiko Ishibashi — Mugen no Juunin - Immortal - Original Soundtrack (King)

If you sit up nights fretting about how Eiko Ishibashi and her partner, Jim O’Rourke, pay the bills, this music may be your melatonin for your worried mind. Immortal is the soundtrack for Blade of the Immortal, an anime adaption of a popular manga that’s been picked up by Amazon Prime. Ishibashi composed and played the music with contributions from Tetuzi Akiyama, joe Talia, Atsuko Hatano, and O’Rourke, who also mixed the music. Ishibashi’s music echoes the affect-stirring melodies of her song-oriented material and the careful sound placement of her recent electro-acoustic work for Black Truffle; when the swirl of keyboard tones looms over her piano on “Animal,” there’s no mistaking it for anyone else’s work. But this is still made for a mass market, with unabashed classical music lifts and big, booming electronic percussion that would make a multiplex’s walls throb if you gave it a chance. There’s no physical release or Bandcamp option, so if you want to check this out, Apple Music and iTunes are your options. 

Bill Meyer

Ela Minus — Acts of Rebellion (Domino)

Colombian musician Gabriela Jimeno’s debut album as Ela Minus is a collection of original tracks that merge songcraft and club sounds into an assured mix of electronica on which she plays all the instruments and sings in both Spanish and English. After spending her teenage years drumming for hardcore band Ratón Pérez, Jimeno studied jazz drums as well as the design and construction of synthesizers, and she eschews the use of computers to create her music. She brings a DIY spirit to her work combined with meticulous production style that gives acts of rebellion the experimental edge of early 1980s independent synthpop. The highlight "Megapunk” is musically close in spirit to Cabaret Voltaire, its defiant lyrics — “There’s No Way Out But to Fight” — tying freedom of expression to wider human progress. A textured and nuanced album, Ela Minus joins an ever-growing group of South American producers to tune into.

Andrew Forell

Erik Friedlander — Sentinel (Skipstone)

Sentinel by Erik Friedlander

Cellist Erik Friedlander seems to pop up in the oddest places, playing now with the Mountain Goats, then with Dave Douglas, and finding a little time for film scoring on the side. It's reasonable that for new album Sentinel, he'd connect with a couple of other artists — guitarist Ava Mendoza and percussionist Diego Espinosa — equally comfortable with finding unexpected sounds in a variety of styles. The group, given their background, sounds their best when they're blending genres. “Flash” starts off as new jazz, turns into rock for a moment, then some strange cello lead pushes it into alien territory. At the edges of the trio's work, heavy rock often feels about to break out, but the group refrains from ever indulging that impulse. “Feeling You” even provides some light, pretty pop, allowing the band to show its full breadth.

Friedlander's compositions provide the basis for the album, but Sentinel never feels like just his album. The band, assembled for what sounds like a hurried set of takes, found their partnership quickly, turning the pieces into fluid performances. “Bristle Cone” lets all three members shine and functions like a microcosm of the disc as a whole: As soon as you think it's a guitar album, you start paying attention to the percussive elements; as soon as you remember it's experimental cello work, you're back to guitar rock. The trio's engagement with the music and with each other comes through, the playful innovation guiding each piece into a multifaceted whole.

Justin Cober-Lake

HAAi — Put Your Head Above the Parakeets EP (Mute) 

Put Your Head Above The Parakeets by HAAi

Though it was Teneil Throssell’s mixes that initially made her name as HAAi (and remain strong even amid the pandemic, her latest for XLR8R another beauty), her own productions are a wonder unto themselves that demand repeat listens even as they come a trickling single or carefully cultivated EP at a time. The Karratha, Australia native, Coconut Beats hostess and Rinse and Worldwide FM veteran’s latest is the delightfully titled Keep Your Head Above the Parakeets EP, pure headphones music meant for sunrises, sunsets, walks in deep snow, rain-swept moors, you name it. Her talent is in balancing airy synth melodies with ever-shifting percussion influenced primarily by jungle, breaks and (ultimately) house; when people talk about psychedelic dance music, this is something like what I always hope to hear. Another unmissable missive.

Patrick Masterson

Hübsch, Martel, Zoubek — Ize (Insub)

Ize by HÜBSCH, MARTEL, ZOUBEK

Decades have passed since Derek Bailey wrote his book, Improvisation. At that time, it was already clear that the intentionally non-idiomatic music he pioneered and practiced was a subset of the more universal matter of improvising as a necessary aspect of playing music. It was also becoming clear that non-idiomatic improvisation’s aspirations and proscriptions amounted to a new but quite identifiable idiom, and this Swiss trio is okay with that. If you told Carl Ludwig Hübsch (tuba, objects),Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba harmonica, pitch pipes) and Philip Zoubek (piano, synthesizer) that the music on Ize sounds a bit like the British ensemble AMM’s, they’d likely nod and thank you for noticing. They’re not trying to make a new kind of music, they’re trying to be good at a kind of music that they love, and on those terms, they succeed. Aside from the occasional Feldman-esque piano phrase, they mostly trade in layers of tone and texture, operating in complementary parallel to one another, taking the listener through states of meditative stillness and slow-motion vertigo. 

Bill Meyer

J Majik — Your Sound - Photek & Digital V​.​I​.​P 12” (Infrared) 

J Majik - Your Sound - Photek & Digital V.I.P by J Majik / Photek / Digital

Released on the same day as the “This Sound” single that allegedly was refashioned from “unfinished jungle project from the vaults,” “Your Sound” was further proof that UK drum n’ bass vet Jamie Spratling bka J Majik still has plenty of material from the golden era to get out into the world. The original is a certified mid-’90s Metalheadz classic, but Photek and Digital’s reworking on the a-side “originally only destined for the dubplate boxes of the ultra-elite” has been floating in the ether for years as an alternative; its light Amen sequences and booming bass will have you yearning for every closed club you can’t attend. J Majik’s remix of his own tune on the flip was originally the b-side to a 1997 Goldie VIP edit, so having a more readily available remaster here does it a world of good. One for the headz, obviously.

Patrick Masterson

KTL — VII (Editions Mego)

VII by KTL

Most of KTL’s recordings have been seeded by theater and film soundtrack commissions. But when Stephen O’Malley (Sunn 0))), Khanate) and Peter Rehberg (Pita, Fenn O’Berg) found themselves in Berlin this past March with more time on their hands than they expected, they booked themselves into Mouse On Mars’ MOM Paraverse Studio sans portfolio and set to work. The first track, “The Director,” seems to acknowledge the situation by introducing the Shephard-Risset glissando, a repeated scale that sounds like it is endlessly ascending or descending. The titular figure never arrives, but while you’re waiting, fat looped electronics impart the experience of going somewhere while leaving you exactly where you’re at. The director isn’t the only value missing from this equation; O’Malley’s default sonic signature, a massive metallic wall of sound, has been softened to a close-shaving buzz that rattles and circles around within Rehberg’s synthetic/sonic biodome. That’s right, while you’ve been baking bread and putting on that COVID-15, KTL has actually lost weight! 

Bill Meyer

Lisa Cay Miller/Vicky Mettler/Raphaël Foisy-Couture — Grind Halts (Notice Recordings)

Grind Halts by Lisa Cay Miller/Vicky Mettler/Raphaël Foisy-Couture

Montreal-based guitarist Vicky Mettler, bassist Raphaël Foisy-Couture and Vancouver-based pianist Lisa Cay Miller are all new names to me. For their trio collaboration on Notice Recordings, the three work their way through a set of eight free improvisations that range from one and a half minutes to eight minutes long. The combination of piano, guitar and upright bass is striking from the start: Miller slips seamlessly between the keyboard and inside-string preparations, mostly eschewing readily identifiable sonorities of her instrument. Mettler’s resonant, brittle electric guitar is the perfect foil to Miller’s piano and one often has a hard time teasing apart where inside piano strings end and guitar strings begin. Add to that Foisy-Couture’s dark low-end bass, which he attacks with groaning scrapes, shuddering arco and assorted string treatments. The three engage in active improvisations, plying their respective instruments into a collective whole while steering clear of garrulous interaction. The fourth piece, “Lower” is as close to trio exchanges as things get, opening up the ensemble sound to allow shredded guitar textures, resounding piano chords and scabrous bass abrasions to accrue into pulsating timbral layers. A piece like “As It Spins” is more about process, adding in the rumble and clatter of assorted percussive detritus, used on their own and to activate the strings of the instruments, which jangle with resultant shimmering overtones. The pieces often segue one into the other, creating an enveloping sound-space throughout. Based on this one, I look forward to hearing more from each of the participants.

Michael Rosenstein

Mint Field — Sentimiento Mundial (Felte)

Sentimiento Mundial by Mint Field

Mexico City-based duo Estrella del Sol Sánchez (voice, guitar) and Sebastian Neyra (bass) enlist drummer Callum Brown to expand the range of their dreamily psychedelic shoegaze on Mint Field’s second album Sentimiento Mundial. Sánchez has the breathy cadence of Rachel Goswell and moves easily between an almost folky introspection in her guitar playing to squalling walls of sound underpinned by Brown’s often motorik drums on tracks like “Contingenicia” and “No te caigas.” The bulk of the album is more reflective, Sánchez’ Spanish vocals close to your ear as she concentrates on atmosphere and dynamics. The result is a dreamscape that lulls, then hits with febrile bursts of restless dread, an impressive collection that fans of 4AD in particular should recognize and embrace. 

Andrew Forell

Takuji Naka/Tim Olive — Minouragatake (Notice Recordings)

Minouragatake by Takuji Naka/Tim Olive

Minouragatake (a mountain outside of Kyoto, Japan) is the fourth recording by Takuji Naka and Tim Olive, a duo that has played together for close to a decade now, melding together music of slowly evolving rich timbral abstraction. Each are consummate collaborators and for this session, they make their way across the seven untitled tracks with steadfast focus to the nuanced details of their respective sound sources. Naka utilizes “long loops of sagging/distressed cassette tape winding into and out of similarly distressed portable tape players, with real-time analog processing.” Olive uses his regular array of magnetic pickups and low-tech analog electronics, drawing out volatile hums and changeable striations that coalesce with his partner’s slowly devolving layers of sound. These pieces are imbued with unflappable deliberation, each sound integrated into the cohesive, gradually unfolding improvisations. Each of the pieces sound as if one is tuning in mid-stream and end with a sense that they could continue on indefinitely. Rather than adhering to any formal developmental arcs, the two patiently sit within unfurling sonic worlds as layers ebb and flow. Naka’s degraded tapes lend an aura of catching wafts from some distant celestial emission which Olive subtly shades and colors with hisses, whispered mutable fuzzed gradations and aural grit. Snatches of scumbled lyricism morph into static-laden swirls; washes of flaked and tattered textures disperse into shuddering thrums. Naka doesn’t record much so it’s good to hear another project from him. Olive has been on a particular roll as of late and this one is a laudable addition to his discography.

Michael Rosenstein

Okuden Quartet — Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn’t Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter (ESP-Disk)

Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn't Matter Because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter by Okuden Quartet: Mat Walerian/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/ Hamid Drake

Put aside the bleakness of this double album’s title because this music embodies the idea that things can get better. Not that there was anything wrong with Polish woodwinds player Mat Walerian’s previous recordings, which have all involved some combination of the musicians on this one. But Walerian has never sounded so strong on his various instruments (alto saxophone, bass and soprano clarinets, flute); so clear on how to get the most out of Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Hamid Drake; or so engaged with jazz, and not just the free jazz that he’s made with these gentlemen to date. By turns subdued, impassioned and bathed in all the shades of the blues, Walerian no longer sounds like a guy who has great taste in sidemen who happen to have played with some of the greats of our time, but a guy who sounds like he belongs in their company. Each lengthy track (they range from 11 to 18 minutes long) imparts a narrative feel without dispelling the mystery that makes you want to hear them again. Here’s hoping that when things start moving again, this band finds a way to move around the world and move us in person. 

Bill Meyer

Om — It’s About Time (Intakt) 

It’s About Time by OM - Urs Leimgruber, Christy Doran, Bobby Burri, Fredy Studer

To a fan, It’s About Time might sum up the feeling upon learning that the Swiss quartet Om finally recorded a new studio album 40 years after its predecessor, Cerberus (ECM). It also captures the existential question facing a quartet of improvisers, some of whose paths have often crossed during that time, but some of whom have taken very different roads. On the one hand, drummer Fredy Studer and guitarist Christy Doran play in a Jim Hendrix cover band with Jamaladeen Tacuma; on the other, soprano saxophonist Urs Leimgruber works mainly in freely improvised settings with the likes of Alvin Curran and Joelle Leandre these days. Burri seems to be the guy who has maintained connections with everybody. How to make sense of such a history without denying anyone’s musical identity? During their first go-around, between 1972 and 1982, Om was played polyrhythmic electric jazz. During the mostly low-profile gigs they’ve played since reconvening in 2008, they’ve had time to forge an updated vocabulary that is less groove-oriented but takes full advantage of the timbral resources on hand. While it’s evident that time has passed, it’s by no means a waste of time. 

Bill Meyer

Rüstəm Quliyev — Azerbaijani Gitara (Bongo Joe)

Azerbaijani music, by and large, hasn't broken through to the American mainstream. That might not change, but the new anthology release of Rüstəm Quliyev's work, titled Azerbaijani Gitara, at least makes a case against our insularity. Quliyev's work, even for an insider, would be hard to pin down given that the overriding goal seems to be the synthesis of as many styles of music as possible. Western ears will be most comfortable with the psych-rock influences here. Quliyev also reworks Bollywood, folk, Middle Eastern dance and more on his electric guitar. Taken from recordings from 1999-2004, this nine-song collection sounds more coherent than that idea might suggest, but no less frantic. Quliyev plays with a persistent energy, his kinetic approach matched my his chops, often with a tone reminiscent of Carlos Santana (if we reach a little). On songs like “İran Təranələri,” he allows the piece to develop patiently, but these cuts rely on movement and virtuosity. Quliyev had a challenging life cut short by lung cancer, but his music finds itself unleashed through apparent joy.

Justin Cober-Lake

ShooterGang Kony — Still Kony 2 (Empire) 

A fortnight shy of his 22nd birthday (this coming Wednesday, mark your calendars and send best wishes), Sacramento rapper ShooterGang Kony has dropped his second full-length project of the year in Still Kony 2, a skit-free set of songs with a Biggie homage as the cover that explores further his emotional depths while still retaining the bouncy Bay Area nature of his livelier side. There’s stuff like “Red Ice” and “Fasholy Good,” of course, but there’s also the stretch of sobering songs later in the tracklist, including “Overdose,” “Flaggin” and the particularly affecting “Do or Die.” No matter the type of beat, though, Kony feels completely at ease with his cadence and wholly in control of his verses despite occasionally verging on a Detroit-like dismissal of the beat. Even if you can’t see the geekin’, you can certainly feel it.

Patrick Masterson

Suuns — Fiction EP (Joyful Noise)

FICTION EP by SUUNS

For better or worse, Suuns’ new Fiction EP is pretty much the sound of 2020 encapsulated, not in the sense of distilling current musical trends, but rather in succinctly conveying the disorientating feeling of living through a year that has been such a traumatic mess. Across these six tracks, the Montreal-based band creates a fuzzy, feedback-streaked, claustrophobic racket that just about coalesces into song forms around breakneck rhythm tracks. “Fiction” and “Pray” will meet the expectations of anyone expecting Suuns to continue sounding like fellow noise-rockers Clinic, but elsewhere there’s surprising variation to the band’s sound palette. Opener “Look” emerges out of the darkness like a warped apparition, concluding with a chant of what sounds like “Sheep, sheep, sheep.” They enlist the help of Jerusalem In My Heart for droning instrumental “Breathe,” and Amber Webber lends ghostly vocals to “Death.” At the EP’s end, the Mothers of Invention’s wailing blues-rock classic “Trouble Every Day” is barely recognizable, foregrounding Zappa’s lyrics and chewing them up into a garbled rush of splenetic invective. Though short, there’s something satisfyingly ghastly and cathartic about this EP that really cuts through.

Tim Clarke

Women — Rarities 2007-2010 (Flemish Eye/Jagjaguwar) 

Rarities 2007 - 2010 by Women

Some outlets rode much harder for Women than others when the band was still a dysfunctioning unit (RIP Cokemachineglow, namely), but there’s little doubt left a decade on that what the Calgary quartet had going was a volatile yet beautiful indie-rock ideal that hasn’t been duplicated in Viet Cong/Preoccupations or Cindy Lee since. These rarities, affixed to a deluxe decennial reissue of Public Strain due out in November, could all have made the final tracklistings of either of their full-lengths. The music veers between sunny ‘60s singalongs and dark guitar dissonance; I find myself thinking of The Walkmen’s first LP on “Bullfight” (a free release from 2011 in the aftermath of the band’s collapse the year before) and of The Chameleons on “Group Transport,” which is considerably more Janus-faced with its juxtaposed harmonies, for example. It took me much longer than it should have to come around on Women, but in case you’re still on the fence or also just never got around to them in the first place, perhaps this small coda will sway you in their favor once and for all.

Patrick Masterson

Yo La Tengo — Sleepless Night EP (Matador)

In July, Yo La Tengo released the abstract, droning instrumental EP We Have Amnesia Sometimes, harking back to the sound of their excellent soundtrack album The Sounds of the Sounds of Science (2002). This new Sleepless Night EP brings together five covers and one original, first released in conjunction with an L.A. exhibition by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, who helped the band pick the songs. Sleepless Night opens with “Blues Stay Away” by The Delmore Brothers and “Wasn’t Born to Follow” by The Byrds, both fairly straight renditions of the blues and country-rock originals. The real keeper in this collection comes next in the form of Ronnie Lane’s “Roll On Babe,” beautifully sung by Georgia, which hypnotizes with its languid sway. Their cover of Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” also has Georgia take the lead over beatless organ, bass and guitar. “Bleeding” is the sole original, a shimmering atmospheric piece with ghostly vocals from Ira, which dissolves in a pool of pitchshifted reverb. Finally, “Smile a Little Smile for Me” strips out the rhythm section from the Flying Machine original and slows the tempo, Ira’s measured vocal performance lending the song an affectingly forlorn slant. Though the material here offers few surprises, it’s a reassuring release from a justifiably loved band at a time when we could all use a little more reassurance.

Tim Clarke

[xtruss]

Why White Supremacists and Hindu Nationalists are So Alike

White supremacy and Hindu nationalism have common roots going back to the 19th-century idea of the 'Aryan race'.

by Aadita Chaudhury, December 13, 2018

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugs US President Donald Trump as they give joint statements in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, US, June 26, 2017

Over the last few years, especially after Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 US presidential election, we have been witnessing the normalisation, and rise, of a white-supremacist, ultranationalist brand of right-wing politics across Europe and the United States. While the shift towards extreme right alarmed many across the world, far-right ideologues of the Trumpian era swiftly found support in a seemingly unlikely place: India.

Many members of the so-called "alt-right" - a loosely knit coalition of populists, white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis - turned to India to find historic and current justifications for their racist, xenophobic and divisive views. Using a specific, "white nationalist" brand of Orientalism, they projected their fantasies about a racially pure society onto the Indian culture and in response received a warm welcome from Hindu fundamentalists in India.

While an alliance between the Hindu far right and the Western alt-right may appear confounding on the surface, it actually has a long history, going all the way back to the construction of the Aryan race identity, one of the ideological roots of Nazism, in the early 20th century.

In the 1930s, German nationalists embraced the 19th-century theory that Europeans and the original Sanskrit speakers of India who had built the highly developed Sanskrit civilisation - which white supremacists wanted to claim as their own - come from a common Indo-European, or Aryan, ancestor. They subsequently built their racist ideology on the assumed superiority of this "pure" race.

Savitri Devi (born Maximiani Portas), a French-Greek thinker and mysticist who later became a spiritual icon of Nazism, helped popularise the idea that all civilisation had its roots in this Aryan "master race" in India. She travelled to India in the early 1930s to "discover the source of the Aryan culture" and converted to Hinduism while there.

She quickly integrated herself into India's burgeoning Hindu nationalist movement by promoting theories that support privileged caste Hindus' superiority over Christians, Muslims and unprivileged caste Hindus in the country. In 1940, she married Asit Krishna Mukherji, a Hindu nationalist and Indian supporter of Nazism who had praised the Third Reich's commitment to ethnonationalism, seeing commonalities between the goals of the Hitler Youth and the youth movement of Hindu nationalism, Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS).

Devi worked as a spy for the Axis forces in India throughout World War II and left the country after the defeat of Nazi Germany using a British-Indian passport. In the post-war period, she became an ardent Holocaust denier and was one of the founding members of the World Union of National Socialists, a conglomeration of neo-Nazi and far-right organisations from around the world.

Devi still has a strong influence over the Hindu nationalist movement in India. Her 1939 booklet titled A Warning to the Hindus, in which she cautions Indian nationalists to embrace their Hindu identity and guard the country against "non-Aryan" influences, such as Islam and Christianity, is still widely read and highly regarded among Hindu nationalists. Perhaps not surprisingly, recently Devi and her theories have also been rediscovered by right-wing ideologues in the West and she is now considered an alt-right icon.

However, the current connection between far-right groups in the West and Hindu nationalists is limited neither to Devi's teachings nor the old myth of the Aryan race.

Today, the two groups share a common goal in eroding the secular character of their respective states and a common "enemy" in Muslim minorities. This is why they often act in coordination and openly support each other.

In the US, the Republican Hindu Coalition, a group with strong links to the Hindu nationalist movement in India, has been rallying behind President Donald Trump's controversial immigration policies, like the Muslim ban and the border wall. Trump's campaign strategist and prominent alt-right figurehead Steve Bannon once called India's Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi "the Reagan of India".

Meanwhile, in India, a far-right Hindu nationalist group named Hindu Sena (Army of Hindus), which has been linked to a series of inter-communal incidents in India, has been throwing parties to mark Trump's birthday. The group's founder even claimed that "Trump is the only person who can save mankind."

In Canada, far-right Islamophobic organisations such as Rise Canada, which claims to "defend Canadian values" and combat "radical Islam", are popular among Hindu-nationalists. The group's logo even features a red maple leaf rising out of a lotus flower, which is often associated with Hinduism.

In Britain, the National Hindu Council of Temples (NHCTUK), a Hindu charity, recently caused controversy by inviting far-right Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh to speak at the parliament. Ghosh has previously suggested the UN should "control the birth rate of Muslims" and said all Muslims are "Jihadis". During his visit to the UK, Ghosh also attended celebrations of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with cabinet ministers Amber Rudd and Priti Patel, and met the former neo-Nazi leader Tommy Robinson.

On top of their shared Islamophobia and disdain for secular state structures, the destructive actions, protests and aggravations of Hindu nationalists and the Western far right are also very much alike.

In November, the government of the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is led by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), proposed to build a statue of the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya, where the historic Babri Masjid was illegally demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992. Only a month earlier, the same government pulled off a massive spectacle, having a helicopter drop off individuals dressed as Ram and Sita at the Babri Masjid site to mark the start of Diwali celebrations.

The sentiment behind these apparent attempts to intimidate Muslims and increase tensions between communities was in many ways similar to the far-right, white supremacist rally that shook Charlottesville in 2017. The neo-Nazis chanted "You will not replace us" as they marched through the streets of Charlottesville.

The far right in the US, Europe and Canada - emboldened by the electoral success of ultra-nationalist parties and individuals across the globe - aspire for a future in which secular protections are abandoned in favour of a system that favours the majority and protects the "white Christian identity" that they believe their nations were founded upon.

Likewise, Hindu nationalists in India, empowered by the BJP's landslide election victory in 2014, and inspired by European ethnonationalism and fascism, reject the constitutional secularism of the Indian state, propose that India is fundamentally a Hindu nation, and insist that minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, do not belong in a "Hindu country".

Ever since the start of the normalisation of far-right ideas in the West, a surge in racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks was witnessed across the US and Europe.

The same happened in India after Hindutva officially became the governing ideology in the country. Over the past few years, countless Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus have been persecuted, assaulted and even killed for allegedly killing cows and many Muslims were targeted for allegedly participating in so-called "love jihad".

But despite all these similarities, there is major a difference between Hindu fundamentalism in India and far-right movements in the West: the liberal reaction to it.

While liberals and leftists quickly united against the rise of the far-right, they chose to largely ignore the rise of Hindu nationalism in the world's largest secular democracy. Especially after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the necessity of expanding the anti-fascist praxis to include all forms of racism, from anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, was emphasised by many. However, the opposition to Hindu nationalism has not yet been made part of the broader movement, despite the well-documented suffering of India's minorities under BJP's rule.

Instead, the idea that India is a "Hindu nation" is being accepted as a given by the majority of liberals. The fact that India's constitution defines the state as "secular" is being ignored, and Hindu nationalism is being presented as a benevolent movement despite ample evidence to the contrary.

White vegans in the West, for example, rejoiced over the decision by several Indian states to ban the consumption of beef, without bothering to understand what these laws would mean for Muslims and Dalits who had already been suffering at the hands of so-called "cow vigilantes". Animal rights and veganism advocate PETA has in fact gone further and berated vegetarians who consume milk in India for "supporting the beef industry", thus playing into the communal politics of food in India.

Hindu nationalism and white supremacy are the two sides of the same coin. For the global movement against racism, white-supremacy and fascism to succeed, anti-fascists across the world need to acknowledge and stand up to the Hind nationalism threat.

Hindus themselves, both in India and abroad, also need to take action and raise their voices against the abuses that are being committed in their names. One such organisation already exists for diaspora Hindus in North America: Sadhana. It is a coalition of progressive Hindus based in New York City, seeks to stop the use of Hindu thought for the purposes of misogyny, queerphobia, Islamophobia and white supremacy.

However, Hindu nationalism cannot be defeated by Hindus alone. People around the world who engage with and comment on the Indian culture on a regular basis, including sub-urban Yoga mums in the US and vegan activists in Europe, should educate themselves on the secular nature and diverse identities of India. They need to join the resistance against the oppression and abuse of the country's minorities and stop perpetuating the Hindu-nationalist myth that India is a "Hindu nation".

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance. Aadita Chaudhury is a PhD Candidate in Science & Technology Studies at York University, in Toronto, Canada.

[elitehoe]

Gonna be thinking about Kenneth Thiccmega all weekend long ❤️

[artificialqueens]

You Better Werq, part 1 (Branjie) - Q-tip & TheDane

Welcome to this new series from Q-tip and I! It takes place in the same world as our other work, Cruising for a bruising, so please enjoy this Werq the World adventure, as we travel around Europe!

“Do you think it’ll cause problems?”

“What will?

“You being here together? If you haven’t seen each other much?”

“Well we almost broke up on a 10 day cruise.” Brooke smiles. “So what could possibly go wrong when we have 12 countries and 22 days?”

Brooke wasn’t really sure what he had expected when he had arrived in Barajas International Airport in Madrid. He had read his contract over well, knew exactly what was expected of him as he did his first tour with Werq the World abroad. WtW Europe 2020 would be his last public appearance as current reigning, and though Brooke was sad it was coming to an end, it was also a relief that his year was almost over.

What Brooke had forgotten however, was the footnote that WoW presents had commissioned a documentary of the tour, Voss Events agreeing to let a man join the almost 30 person crew for the 22 days the tour would take.

To have a camera showed in his face, the sun just rising, after he had spent 11 hours flying in from L.A, was not exactly at the top of the list of things he was interested in right now.

Brooke had rushed from appointment to appointment in L.A, flying from fitting to fitting on new costumes since he was actually home, touching base from his just finished Canada trip to make sure every loose end was tied up before he went to Europe. Brooke had juggled it all, on top of packing everything Vanjie had forgotten in their L.A home, barely cuddling the cats and Riley and making sure Courtney who had followed him from Canada had everything she needed to be their house sitter for the next month.

“So.” Brooke looked into the camera, a man who had introduced himself as Jasper Rischen, holding it up. He looked sweet, brown eyes, short hair, but he could also be anywhere between 15 and 35. “I didn’t expect this whole thing to start so soon.”

Jasper moved slightly, allowing Brooke to see his face. “Is it making you uncomfortable?”

“Oh, no! No.” Brooke held out his hand, his handler Liam already taking his suitcases away. “It was just a long flight.”

Brooke knew WOW had paid for a documentary, that Jasper would be following them around, even sleeping on their bus instead of the crewbus, but it still made him feel on edge.

“Are you going to be following me this entire time?”

Brooke wished he had done more with his hair, or at least not worn the workout pants Vanjie had tried to throw out several times telling him that they were basically trash, which Brooke knew very well. They were, however, also comfortable and lived in, and Brooke hadn’t exactly expected a camera to be shoved in his face the moment he landed.

“Follow all of you.” Jasper smiled.

“Well, we better get going then, huh?” Brooke grabbed his duffle, life on the road truly starting again.

///

Brooke sits in a car, backlight illuminating his blonde hair as it drives through the streets of Madrid.

“How I feel about this tour?” Brooke is turning his phone, flipping it back and forth between his fingers. “Excited. A little nervous.” Brooke laughs, his nose scrunching. “It’s going to be a lot.” He sits, looking out the window. “This is going to be a new experience for me. I like my independence, I like being my own boss, and if there is one thing that you are not while on tour, it’s the boss.”

Images of Brooke performing fly over the screen, Brooke truly coming alive under the stage lights, the crowd.

“Not that I ever am, when Jose is around.”

“How does it feel to know that you have to pass on your crown?

Brooke looks thoughtful. “Strange.” He pauses. “I’ve already done it once before, giving up a crown I mean, but Drag Race is a totally different experience from Miss Continental.” Brooke leaned back. “Of course it’s sad to say goodbye, but I have to admit I’m also excited at the thought of having time to sleep, see our pets and finally go on the vacation to Aruba I promised Jose on the show.” Brooke laughs, his face lighting up. “We haven’t seen each other much lately.”

“Do you think it’ll cause problems?”

“What will?

“You being here together? If you haven’t seen each other much?”

“Well we almost broke up on a 10 day cruise.” Brooke smiles. “So what could possibly go wrong when we have 12 countries and 22 days?”

///

“So we have to go left, then right?” Vanjie looked at Chancellor, their main choreographer, lifting a brow. “Or is it the other way around?”

“It’s left, left right.”

“Cool. Cool cool cool.” Vanjie grabbed his water, wiping his forehead, when he heard the best sound in the universe, Brooke’s warm voice yelling out a ‘hello hello hello’!

“Brock!!” Vanjie shot down from the stage, leaving both Detox, Asia and Kim Chi high and dry. He ran towards the door without a shred of shame, jumping directly into the arms of his boyfriend who had barely stepped inside the rehearsal space, Brooke surrounded by suitcases. “You’re here!”

“Hey boo.” Brooke laughed, holding Vanjie without a choice as he had thrown his legs around Brooke, clinging to him like a koala bear, hanging onto him as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. “Did you miss me?” Brooke’s eyes sparkled with mischief, the blue orbs watching every inch of Vanjies face. He hadn’t seen Brooke in 6 days, he and Asia doing a two day gig with Porn Idol London before they had both flown to Madrid earlier in the morning.

“Bitch you know I did.”

Vanjie grabbed Brooke’s hair, only briefly registering the camera that was hanging back, clearly filming everything, but he was a man with needs, and as long as he had heard no ho telling him to keep it PG-13, he was going to kiss his boo liked he deserved.

Kissing Brooke was wonderful, his lips soft and full, and Vanjie smiled into the kiss, the fresh taste of mint dancing on their tongues, Brooke without a doubt popping one in the taxi before throwing on new deodorant too, his prime canadian beef thoughtful like that. Vanjie was about to go in for a second filling, when a hand forced its way between their faces, Detox effectively cutting them apart. “Okay, that’s enough. This isn’t that kind of show.”

“Hey!”

Detox laughed, clearly not giving a fuck that Vanjie was yelling. Brooke transferred Vanjie to his hip, a surge of warmth rushing through Vanjie at how easily he was handled, Brooke carrying him as if he weighed nothing.

“You gotta share girl, can’t keep Brooke all to yourself.”

“I can keep him exactly where I want!”

Detox laughed, putting an arm around Brooke to get his own hug, nearly hitting Vanjie in the head, but Brooke just smiled, readily accepting the love from one of his closests drag friends.

“It’s not gonna be a problem.”

Detox snorted, clearly not believing Brooke’s low rumble. Jasper had lost interest, the man moving across the room and to the stage, filming away at Kim Chi who was getting a special lesson from Chancellor. The latinax paying intense attention to where Kim Chi’s feet where, and Vanjie knew it wasn’t without right, Kim falling almost as many times as Aquaria during last years Werq.

“If I know any of you whores right, it will be.”

“D, since when have you become such a prude?” Brooke smirked, his hand firmly planted under Vanjies tank top, spread out against his skin. It was hot in Madrid, Vanjie knowing he had to be damp from the rehearsals, Brandon Voss arranging this bootcamp for that exact reason. Madrid the perfect climate to get the queens into gear, on the same beat, force them to work in the heat that will be unavoidable, and to give them a chance to get to know their back up dancers before they hit the road. Vanjie had already run through his first number, a tongue in cheek performance of a Milkshakes remix, props and all, with the two dancers that were his primary ones.

“I’m merely saying that  while I have seen the goods.” Detox’s eyes ran over Brooke’s body, Brooke nearly choking on a laugh. “I’d like to keep all sucking noises, pussy poppins and van jams to a minimum.”

“Bitch when have you seen the goods?!”

“You know what they say.” Detox released Brooke, a big smile playing on his lips. “Sister dick will make you sick.” Detox slapped Vanjie’s thigh, turning around and walking back towards the stage.

Brooke made a move to put Vanjie down, but Vanjie only clung to him further, throwing his arms around his neck.

“Nu-uh.” It had only been 6 days since they had last seen each other, but it somehow felt like a lifetime. They had dated for almost 2 years, Brooke inching into the last weeks of his reign. Vanjie could smell the warmth of the cologne he had gotten Brooke for Christmas, the ever so familiar scent of sweat and what was so uniquely Brooke just underneath. They had both been booked for the finale taping only 2 weeks after coming back, Brooke’s fittings with the designer he had chosen from the landslide in his inbox the only reason he had even touched down at home. It was infuriating that Brooke hadn’t told him anything about his finale look, hadn’t even shared what colors he was going for, but Brooke had laughingly told Vanjie that he would consider sharing something that big when he had seen Vanjie keep something as simple as a birthday present a secret, which he guessed was a fair enough reason.

“Did you bring my shoes?”

Brooke laughed, sitting down on one of the audience seats, grabbing the gym bag he was still carrying and opening it with one hand. “Here.”

Vanjie yelled in delight, Brooke handing him a pair of sneakers still in the box, everyone momentarily stopping on stage to make sure Vanjie was okay, all of them resuming when they saw Vanjie tearing into the wrapping.  

The sneakers were perfect, so crispy white they looked like new fallen snow.

“Biiiitch!” Vanjie immediately stood up, toeing off the Adidas he was wearing to pull on the brand new Nike’s he had ordered online while on the road. Online shopping was one of his favorite activities, favorite distractions, whenever he was spending long and often lonely nights in anonymous hotel rooms after club gigs that left his ears ringing from fan screams and the heavy bass.

“Look how fucking fresh I look!” Vanjie turned back and forth, parading his new kicks.

“Real fresh.” Brooke laughed, crooking an eyebrow at Vanjie’s antics.

“Thanks babe!”

“Next time, can you please have them delivered when you’re actually home? It was an absolute nightmare squishing pickup in.”

“They’re limited edition.” Vanjie said, though the look on Brooke’s face told him it apparently wasn’t enough of an explanation. “I didn’t want some lobby boy nicking them if I got them sent to a hotel. Besides,” Vanjie sat down in Brooke’s lap, taking his head in his hands. “Imma pay you real good for your Canadian Express delivery. Give you a real nice tip.”

“Mmh?”

“Yup.” Vanjie popped the p, pressing their lips together for another round of deep kisses, when they were interrupted by a call, Chancellor yelling for Brooke. His dancer was finally ready for rehearsals as Kim Chi had just finished. Brooke stood up, shedding his hoodie and throwing it on a seat, already halfway on the stage when Vanjie picked it up and threw it on, pulling it up the hood to watch his man practice on stage.

///

“Are you gonna snitch on me if I smoke?” Detox smiles, his eyes looking just left of the camera. “Good.” Detox lit up, his pink claws a natural part of his hand. Detox is in an alley, an orange shirt somewhat clashing with his hair. “Do you smoke?”

“No.”

“You better start.” Detox laughs. In the background, Kim Chi opens the stage door and slips out, a bottle of cola in hand. “We all need someway to escape this madness.”

“You think this tour is going to be madness?”

Kim Chi laughs, moves next to Detox, who throws an arm around him. “Let me give you my predictions.” Kim Chi holds up a finger. “Violet and Valentina is going to be late for every meet and greet.” Detox nods. “Detox is gonna be mad that Valentina is late for every meet and greet.”

“Hey!”

“Vanjie is gonna fight someone just cause.“ Kim Chi counts. “A’keria is gonna look amazing as always, Brooke will be utter perfection and the cause of at least one Vanjie related breakdown, and Shangela is gonna get lost at least twice.”

“Kim here is the unofficial employee of the month.” Detox laughs. “They all love her. Model citizen and all, but watch out. Her shade is deadlier than her farts.” Detox pushes Kim gently, and they both cackle. The door opens, and Chancellor calls them both back in.

“Hey, Detox?”

“Mmh?” Detox turns around.

“You were on the Atlantis cruise, right?”

“Look at you Mr. Journalist.” Detox smiles. “Seems like WOW has hired a clever little gayboy for this.”

“I’m 24.”

Detox huffs, the smile still playing in his eyes. “Yes, yes I was on the cruise.”

“Brooke said something about him and Vanjie almost breaking up, and now with Kim. They always seem so happy, so I was just wondering. I’ve never heard about that bef-“

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

The camera lowers, no longer capturing Detox face. “Oh, no. Of course not, I was just-“

“Brooke and Vanjie are… Well, they’re Brooke and Vanjie. Nauseatingly sweet and an absolute fucking mess. Brooke and I have been friends forever, and I love the dumb bitch with my entire heart, but if there is even an ounce of drama on this tour, I will have had it. Officially.”

///

“So, we have a lot of new girls with us this year.”

Brooke crossed his arms, slowly tapping his foot up and down. Brandon Voss had gathered them all for lunch, Jon, the tour manager, standing right by his side. Violet and Sharon had been the last to fly in, Violet coming in from Milano with a secretive smirk on her face, Sharon somewhat buzzed from flirting his way into several refills from the flight attendant who had turned out to be a race chaser.

“There are a few rules we want to go over.” Jon stepped forward, already flipped to the first side of his board.

A’keria leaned back in his seat, emptying his protein shake while Brandon droned on about bus schedules, sleeping arrangements and minibar use.

“We expect all of you to have your phones on you so we can reach you, if you’re not with your handler. Is everyone officially in the group chat?”

“Sounds almost kinky, huh? A handler?” A’keria whispered.

Brooke peaked out of the corner of his eye, A’keria wearing a shiteating grin that was only just hidden by his drink.

“Though I guess some of us brought those from home.”

“Bitch shut up.”

Brooke had to hide his own grin, Vanjie chiming in from A’keria’s other side in what could barely be considered a whisper, though it was low for Vanjie.

“If you miss transportation, it’s on you to get to the next location. Shangela, I’m looking at you.”

“Ah!” Shangela held up her arms. “You better believe you’re gonna regret those words Miss Jon. New tour, new me.”

“New trade in every town.”

Everyone laughed, Violet’s joke landing at the exact right time.

“We still need those last few files from some of you girls.” Brooke could feel Vanjie shrink two sizes even though they weren’t sitting next to each other, and he almost rolled his eyes. Brooke had turned his own music in on both email, USB and CD, the tech crew practically crying when they realised that every number had been marked, but that was what a background in pageantry did, Brooke knowing without a shadow of a doubt that A’keria had been just as prepared. Vanjie however? That was an entirely different story, Brooke sometimes believing that his boyfriend had never read a full contract in his life, Vanjie’s chaotic personality not always translating very well to the structure that was needed outside of single performances in clubs and at pride parades.

“Oh, and Brooke?”

“Mmh?” Brooke looked up, meeting Brandon Voss gaze.

“We’ve already cleared everything with VH1 and your management, so don’t worry about taping the final of Drag Race. We have everything under complete controle.”

[centralparkpawsblog]

Taste of the Wild vs Orijen

https://www.centralparkpaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Princess-pup-demands-high-quality-good-tasting-dry-dog-food.jpg Taste of the Wild (TotW) versus Orijen, who will win?

In our household, we’ve tried more than 50% of the different popular brands, and some not so popular.

Our household is made up of dogs with food allergies (Sophie and Calvin), heart disease (Daisy), Cushing Disease (Daisy and Sophie), high energy (Ginger), seniors, and picky eaters.

Finding a dog food that works for everyone can be pretty tricky.

There have been a select few that work for everyone, but more often we have multiple kinds of dog food in the pantry.

Picking the right food has become a more daunting task for many dog parents.

Why Should You Choose a High-Quality Dog Food?

I remember a time when buying dog food was as easy as throwing a bag of dog food in your grocery cart.

You should choose high-quality, delicious dog food because your prince or princess is worth it

Unfortunately, the ease and convenience of those days are gone for most of us.

With so many special needs and dog food varieties, the combination options are astronomical. Every dog is unique, and most have special dietary needs due to:

Size

Age

Health – GI Issues, disease, allergies, etc.

Weight (Both gain and loss)

Breed (German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Goldendoodles shouldn’t always eat the same food)

Activity Level

It’s incredible how many variables need to meet to come up with the right food for your dog.

With so many brands and recalls, it’s hard to know which one is the best choice to go with.

VarietyFirst IngredientProteinRatingPrice Taste of the Wild High PrairieBuffalo32%4.1$$ Check Price Taste of the Wild Pacific StreamSalmon25%4.3$$ Check Price Taste of the Wild Sierra MountainLamb25%4.3$$ Check Price Orijen OriginalChicken38%4.3$$$ Check Price Orijen Six FishAtlantic Whole Mackerel38%4.0$$$$ Check Price Orijen Regional RedBeef38%4.0$$$$$ Check Price

Taste of the Wild

Taste of the Wild Company History

Diamond Pet Company carries many different brands, one of which is Taste of the Wild.

The company started back in 1970 by two brothers-in-law and has grown quite rapidly.

Even though TotW has become a substantially large company, it has remained family owned since the beginning.

TotW has plants from California to South Carolina, with a few more in between. They have 5 manufacturing locations in total.

TotW uses sustainable and humanely raised ingredients. The formulas were developed based on a canines’ ancestral dietary requirements.

The commitment TotW makes to their customers is that it manufactures “…a high-quality, yet affordable pet food option.”

If you’re interested in learning more about this dog food brand, we reviewed Taste of the Wild in-depth here!

Taste of the Wild Varieties

TotW currently offers 9 different dry dog food varieties.

Of those foods, some are specifically tailored to the needs of small breeds and puppies.

Taste of the Wild 3 Best Sellers of Dry Dog Food:

High Prairie – Roasted Bison and Venison

Pacific Stream – Smoked Salmon

Sierra Mountain – Roasted Lamb

More Varieties at Amazon

More Varieties at Chewy

Orijen

Orijen Company History

Orijen is one of two brands created by Champion Pet Foods, which originated in Canada. It was founded by Reinhard Muhlenfeld in 1985.

Exporting goods from Canada has not a common practice, but with aid from the Canadian government, Champion Pet Foods has been quite successful in selling their dog food globally.

Orijen’s approach to marketing is a bit unconventional.

Orijen doesn’t utilize traditional marketing plans but instead relies on their outside sales force and word of mouth.

Orijen Varieties

Orijen has 8 different dry dog food varieties, not including their freeze-dried food line.

Orijen Family Pet Food 3 Best Sellers of Dry Dog Food:

Original

Six Fish

Regional Red

More Varieties at Amazon

Recalls and Lawsuits

Taste of the Wild

Diamond Pet Food has had several recalls, though TotW has only had a single incident in May of 2012.

The recall was for salmonella contamination at the plant in South Carolina. Dry dog food was the only one with contamination issues.

The production codes needed to be checked to verify if the food had salmonella issues. Food with codes having a 2 or 3 in the 9th space and an X in the next space were part of the recall.

Corrections to the manufacturing plants were successful in ensuring future issues did not arise.

However, there are two lawsuits filed against Diamond Pet Food specifically around the TotW brand.

Note that anybody can file a lawsuit and they are not evidence of guilt until ruled so by a judge

The two lawsuits are similar in nature, the first one was in August 2018 and the second one was filed in February 2019. The 2018 suit accuses TotW of food contamination in the following three varieties:

Prairie Canine Formula Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food

Pacific Stream Canine Formula Smoked Salmon Dry Dog Food

Puppy Formula Grain-Free.

The 2019 suit involves five varieties:

Prairie Canine Formula Roasted Bison and Roasted Venison Dry Dog Food

Pacific Stream Canine Formula Smoked Salmon Dry Dog Food

Prairie Puppy Formula Grain-Free

Southwest Canyon with Beef in Gravy

Southwest Canyon with Wild Boar

Both lawsuits allege the foods are contaminated with pesticides, heavy metal (arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium), acrylamide, and BPA.

Orijen

Orijen has not had any recalls in the United States.

Coincidentally, Orijen also had a lawsuit for similar contamination claims as TotW. This lawsuit was filed in March of 2018 but was later dismissed in February of 2019.

TotW’s lawsuits may end the same way.

What’s Important When Choosing a Dog Food?

There are several things to consider when looking for the perfect dog food.

Often, we talk about ingredients, and that’s a big part of the decision-making process, but it isn’t the only thing to take into account.

Where the food is manufactured

Where the ingredients are sourced

Availability

Taste (What your dog thinks!)

Price

Ingredients

Your dog’s individual needs (See list above)

Comparison of Taste of the Wild vs. Orijen

Ingredients

  Winner: Orijen   

These two brands have many similarities which made them fun to compare.

They both fashion their food on the more primal needs of our dogs, they both are grain free, and both brands are protein focused.

In addition to the philosophies behind their food they both outline, in the guaranteed analysis section, the Omega-6 & 3 fatty acid content.

Orijen

Orijen designed their recipes to be 85% prime animal protein, 15% fruit and vegetables, and 0% grains and potatoes.

All of their foods are packed with superfoods like pumpkin, kale, and spinach.

Also, Orijen has included pumpkin and sunflower seeds in their recipes. They use a variety of beans and lentils to make up for the lack of traditional grains and potatoes.

Their guaranteed analysis reflects 38% minimum protein, which is substantially higher than most dog foods, including TotW. Another thing Orijen does that many other dog food companies shy away from is use organ meat in their foods.

Organ meats may sound icky, but they are healthy and nutritious.

The aspect of this food I don’t like is the lack of traditional carbohydrates. Many dogs need grains and easily digestible potatoes.

Taste of the Wild

TotW includes potatoes and lentils in their foods to make up for the lack of grains. They have also included potato and pea flour in place of wheat or rice flours.

The first two ingredients in their best sellers are high-quality animal proteins, and though it does have some fruits and vegetables it’s nothing compared to Orijen’s list of superfoods.

Price and Value

  Winner: Taste of the Wild   

This was an easy pick.

Their food is in line with their goals of being of an excellent dog food at a low price. The average cost per pound for TotW is under two dollars while the average cost per pound for Orijen is over four dollars!

Availability

  Winner: Taste of the Wild   

TotW is available in most pet food retail stores, both in person and online.

They are even found in some hardware stores, doggy daycares, specialty grocery stores, and vet clinics.

Orijen has similar availability in pet stores, but they cannot be found in grocery or hardware stores, only in pet-focused retail locations or online.

And even then, not at as many online retailers.

  Taste

  Winner: Orijen   

Almost a tie, but because I had to choose (Daisy hasn’t learned how to write or speak English yet), Orijen wins by a small margin.

I believe it was the unique kinds of proteins that gave Orijen that extra push.

The X Factor

  Winner: Orijen   

Orijen offers specially formulated recipes for seniors, puppies, and a weight management variety.

Also, Orijen’s fatty acid content is significantly higher than most dog foods.

As an added bonus, they have added chondroitin and glucosamine into their recipes!

Overall

  Winner: Taste of the Wild   

Orijen is in a class all of its own. With the high-end ingredients, the extreme levels of protein, and the abundance of superfoods, it’s hard to beat.

If you can afford to give your pupper a tiara, then Orijen is priced right for you

But like we mentioned before, ingredients aren’t everything.

Though Orijen can justify the price, it does make it cost prohibitive to the majority of dog owners. Especially if you own multiple dogs!

Taste of the Wild is a reasonably priced dog food and has the added benefit of being easy to find.

TotW is a quality dog food with an appropriate protein content that’s more suited to dogs with an average or activity level.

However, if your dog needs a high protein diet, such as working, sporting, or extremely athletic dogs, Orijen would be the best option.

Also, if your dog would benefit from the higher fatty acid, chondroitin, and glucosamine levels, such as dogs with arthritis or extremely active dogs, then Orijen would also be the better option.

The post Taste of the Wild vs Orijen appeared first on Central Park Paws.

from https://www.centralparkpaws.net/dog-food/taste-of-the-wild-vs-orijen/

[i-want-to-rule-the-world-blog]

2018

I STEAL SO MUCH I CANT EVEN ENJOY IT

MY PAPER FLAT NOW. I USED TO FOLD IT 

IM TRYING TO CUFF A GIRL TO MY WRISSZ. THASSZ A ROLEX 

IMPROVEMENTS EVERYDAY.

TALKS FEARLESSZ. WALKS WEAKNESSZ 

GET A CHECK. GET A NECK. WRAP MY WRISSZ. 4 RINGS ON MY FISSZ 

I HAVE TO GET MY MONEY UP 

I HAVE MONEY ON MY MIND 

LESSZ GET HIGH! 

I NEED TO SWITCH UP ON MY CHOICES 

IM HEARING LOTS OF NOISES 

IM BELIEVING ALL THE VOICES 

I HEAR VOICES IN MY HEAD 

THE VOICES ARE NOT REAL 

GO AHEAD 

I LEAVE BREAD CRUMBS 

GO TO THE SAME PLACES TO GET NUMB 

MEET A STRANGER 

CAN I GET YOUR NUMBER 

I COULD SHOW YOU HOW IM WISE 

MISSZED FLIGHTS 

STAY IN 1 PLACE 

REACH THE PEAKS OF THE HEIGHTS 

ROLLING THE DICE 

SMOKING ON ICE 

LOOK AT MY EYES 

JUSSZ KNOW THAT IM NICE 

STEER RIGHT STEP 

WATCH MY LIP 

DO SUMN THAT MAKES YOU KEEP ME 

WAKE UP 

HAVE TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING 

BE PRESENT IN THE ATTENDANCE 

NEVER SEEM TO PAY ATTENTION 

DONT MESSZ UP W/ MY PLANS 

SUICIDAL IS IN THE FUTURE 

YOU BETTER MAKE SURE 

DEWBI 

IM PURE 

NEVER PAID ATTENTION IN SCHOOL 

I WAS COOL 

KICKED OUT TO THE STREETS 

IM HOMELESSZ 

SPENDING TIME ON THE COMPUTER 

GO TO SOCIAL MEDIA 

A GANGSTER IN THE STREETS 

DOING DIRT 

SHOOTING EVERYTHING ON THE BASKETBALL COURT 

COULD TELL THAT IDGAF B/C IDEC 

SURROUNDED BY ALL OF THEM 

IM ALONE 

HAVE TO WATCH MY TONE 

HAVE TO WASH MY MOUTH 

GANG 

THASSZ WHAT IM ABOUT 

SWAG 

THASSZ WHAT I IS 

UNDERSTAND THAT MAIN 

I SAID I WAS RUNN GAME 

MINE 

TWISTS 

IM CHASING THIS PAPER 

IM CHASING MY PRIME 

IM CHASING A DIME 

GIRL YOU FINE 

CAN YOU PLEASE BE MINE 

FAIR W/ BLIND 

THE CHAIR & YOUR BEHIND GIVING ME TOP 

GIVING YOU “FLAP FLAP. WHOS HOT. CLYDE IS" 

I AM BESSZ 

PESSZ CONTROL 

NUNN LESSZ THAN THE REALESSZ 

BEATING MY CHESSZ AFTER ANOTHER TESSZ 

WORLD WIDE WESSZ 

LEAVING THE RESSZ 

GUESSZ WHASSZ NEXT 

I DONT WANT A ROOM 

THASSZ A MESSZ 

COMPUTER ON MY DESSZ 

I HAVE A LISSZ OF TRACKS & TASSZ 

THE TYPE TO MAKE YOU CARRY A FLASSZ 

PUT ON A MASSZ & TAKE IT OUT ON THE PASSZ 

B/C OF CANT MAKE IT LASSZ 

B/C OF CANT MAKE TIME GO FASSZ TO GETTING THAT CASH

I WAS WORKING AT THE MALL 

I WAS STUFFING MY BAG FULL 

IM A MEDIUM 

THE JACKET WAS SO SMALL 

PASSED BY THEM 

ISSZ MY CALL 

DONT SMOKE & DONT STEAL 

PARANOID FEAR 

ILL STAND DOWN W/ A CROWN ON MY HEAD 

I KNOW NONE OF YOU N* WANT ME DEAD 

IM A REAL NIGGA & A GOLD DIGGER 

GANGSTER 

GO FIGURE 

I EXPLAIN SO YOU DONT HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT 

BY MYSELF (I YELL. SCREAM. AND SHOUT.) 

VOICES IN MY HEAD & MY MIND 

NEVER DID HUSTLE 

KNOCKED ME OFF MY GRIND 

LOCKED UP ONLY GETTING MUSCLE 

LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND 

IM A KING IN A CASTLE 

FREE UP 

I HAVE THINGS TO DO OUSSZIDE 

GET MY MONEY UP 

THEYRE PAID & IMMA RIDE 

KEEP THE CHANGE 

I RUN UP & SHOOT YOU CLOSE RANGE 

POKING ONCE YOU PISSZ ME OFF 

MELEE 

I NEED ME ANOTHER ONE 

FIRSSZ ARRESSZ I COULD COUGH 

CRIP WAS SMOKING CRACK 

GANGSTER GOON IS SOFT 

THEYRE SAYING I STAY ON TRACK 

MISSZ THE TRAIN W/ ME BABY 

WHASSZ YOUR NAME 

YOURE A DIME GIRL YOU FINE 

WHASSZ YOUR SIGN 

READ YOUR HOROSCOPES 

I F* W/ THE GOAT 

GANGSTER RAP HIP HOP 

WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISSZEN TO 

I DONT HAVE A CLUE 

OKAY ILL STAY AWAY FROM YOU 

TAKE CARE OF MYSELF B/C I AINT GETTING NO HELP FROM NOBODY 

NO BODIES 

ACHOO 

DONT LET ME CATCH YOU W/ A BAT 

I HANG UPSIDE DOWN IN A CAVE 

CHEWING ON YOUR CHEESE LIKE A RAT 

I DONT EVEN WAVE 

JUSSZ TELL ME WHATCHU WANT 

ILL BE BLUNT 

GIVE YOU MY MONEY IN A MONTH 

I WAS NEVER LOYAL TO THE FAMILY 

I WANT TO BE LOYAL TO THE FAMILY 

CATCH ME STRONG B/C I AINT HAVING IT 

COMFORTABLE SITUATIONS HAVE TO WAIT 

AND YOU CAN PLAN IT TOO 

IM W/ THE CREW. NO CAP 

IM BOUT TO SWEEP W/ A BROOM 

PUSH UPS RUN LAPS ON THE MAP OF THE ROOM ISSZ A CELL 

CHARGING MY CELLPHONE WHEN I GO HOME 

THE STREETS IS HELL 

IM A BUM W/ A PUN & A GUN 

THIS IS NOT FOR FUN 

ISSZ NOT EVEN A JOKE 

IM SERIOUS AS HELL & YOU CAN TRUSSZ ME (I WONT TELL.) 

GO HARD OR GO HOME 

IM NOT DOING THIS ALONE 

TRYING TO HOLLA IS A JOKE 

CATCH ME SLIPPING WHEN IM BROKE 

I HAVE A GIRL & A WIFE 

POKE W/ A KNIFE IF YOU TOUCH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE 

GIRL I CANT TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU 

WHY CANT YOU STAY 

ISSZ EARLY & I PLAY 

LIGHTS OUT (I HAVE TO WORK HARD.) 

QUIT PLAYING B/C OF WHERE YOURE HEADED TOWARDS 

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM & IM GOING UP 

TO THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN 

IM A TOP DOG. BALL HOG 

TAGALOG. PURE FILIPINO 

CANADIAN COMBO 

ONLY ONES TO BE FORBIDDEN 

THE ISLANDS & THE RED 

EASSZ GANG 

SPOILED BRAT 

YAKIF! 

DONT CRY. DONT BE SCARED 

NOBODY EVEN DARED TO TOUCH ANY OF MY B* 

YOURE DEAD IF IM YOUR B* B/C IM KING REYYZ & LFE 

RUN TLF (THE LORDS OF FIGHTING.) 

IM THE BESSZ AT TYPING 

IM THE BESSZ AT ACTING 

LIVE & THE REACTION 

“DONT DO NUNN UNNECESSARY." 

I FOUND THE GIRL I WANT TO MARRY 

LESSZ HAVE A BABY 

ILL GET EVERYTHING READY 

& ILL WAIT FOR YOU TO SHOW UP IN MY LIFE AGAIN 

IM TAKING THE TOP 

KEEP CHEESE 

DONT EAT 

"SMOKE YOU LIKE TOP PAPER." 

DONT GO IN THE WATER 

GET SLASHES 

DRIP LIKE A SPLASH 

DROP FOR THE CASH 

SWISH* "THATS A BASKET!”

FLICK OF THE WRISSZ 

IM A GANGSTER FROM THE COMPUTER TO THE STREETS 

PUT ME ON A BEAT. IM RAPPING 

WHASSZ HAPPENN 

“IM FROM THE SOUTH WHERE ISSZ COLD LIKE THE NORTH POLE*" 

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CDN $$$ TO THE PISO 

PAY SHENS. ILL BE PATIENT 

BEFORE I WAS 

ISSZ ALL I KNOW WHAT TO DO 

JUSSZ KNOW THAT I HAS 

IM A TRUE FAKE 

I DONT WANT BEEF 

IM A THIEF 

USER 

I WANT TO BE A PLAYER IF LIFE IS A GAME 

IM A BEASSZ. IM NOT TAMED 

IM HERE TO PROTECT & SERVE 

F* WHATCHU HEARD 

FOLLOW THE SYSTEM & OBEY THE LAW 

10 COMMANDMENTS 

I BELIEVE IN GOD LIKE A CHRISTIAN 

ON A MISSZION LIKE A SOLDIER 

I WOULD GO TO HER 

IM GOING TO HIM 

I KNOW ABOUT HIM 

LET THERE BE LIGHT IS DIM 

BLIND FROM A BEAM 

SHINE 

BRING ME MINE 

IM ON MY HUSSZLE & MY GRIND 

IM LEAVING MY NAME BEHIND 

I NEED A BIRTH CERTIFICATE 

I ONLY SEE 1 PLATE ON THE TABLE 

IM READY FOR BATTLE 

LESSZ FIGHT 

GOODNIGHT 

CANT SLEEP 

TRYNA RUN LIKE THE BEEP TESSZ 

MARCHING IN THE EASSZ 

FLYING TO THE WESSZ 

ST.E'Z CHS CRESSZ 

STABBED TO THE CHESSZ 

DO YOUR BESSZ

DONT BE OPPRESSZED 

I WANT TO KEEP MY STUFF 

IM NOT TOUGH 

IM A GOOD & IM GOOD 

MYSTERY. ROMANCE. PASSZION 

STYLE & FASHION 

STREET THUG 

SOLD SOME BUGS 

HOW YOU SHOW ME LOVE 

I SHOULDNT HAVE 

IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH 

I EVEN GOT CUFFED 

IM STILL HERE YELLING & GETTING YELLED AT 

I DONT HAD ENOUGH OF THAT 

IM LEAVING ASAP 

CROSSZ THE DEFENDER IN BASKETBALL 

GO FOR THE TOUCHDOWN 

IM THE QB 

RUN IT UP TO THE CATCH 

HE COULDVE DASHED 

PASSZED IT ANYWAY 

"WHERE THERES A WILL. THERES A WAY." 

I DONT PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT 

IM RIGHT BEHIND IT 

I DONT FINISH 

THASSZ LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE 

MAKE A WISH 

FAIRY DUSSZ FLIES & RUNS THROUGH 

IM AIMING FOR PERFECTION 

MISTAKES ARE LESSZONS

YOU CANT TAKE IT BACK ONCE ISSZ HAPPENED 

I FOUND IT & I CAN NEVER GET AROUND IT 

DUCK & DODGE EVERYBODY 

THEY SEE & HEAR YOU WHEN YOU GET HAPPY 

DONT PLAY GAMES ON A LAME 

ACCIDENT PRONE. DONT GET ON MY LANE 

LICENSE & REGISTRATION. WHASSZ YOUR NAME 

WALK IN A STRAIGHT LINE. HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING 

DONT DRINK & DRIVE. YOU COULD GIVE ME A HIGH 5 

I COULD DIE TONIGHT & I FIGHT 

FIGHTING TO STAY ALIVE 

IM FIGHTING MY BATTLES 

TAKING CARE OF MYSELF RIGHT 

[bitchofnovember-blog]

4, 5, 13, 16, 20 and 29 for the not from the US ask, please

Ok, so some inside dirt on life in glamourous Canada!

4: Favourite country specific dish: It’s not actually poutine! (Heresy, I know!) Nope, I’ve got a sweet tooth at least the size of Quebec, so if we want to be really stereotypical, I’d have to say pure maple syrup, and all the great candy that gets made out of it. Tied with whatever seasonal treats Tim Horton’s comes out with for a limited time every year, because it’s complete trash food, but Tim’s donuts and baked goods are amazing. Right now I’m all about the pumpkin-sice muffin with cream cheese icing filling. (Fun fact - my city is home to the FIRST Tim Horton’s ever! We go there sometimes just to show our respect.)

5: Favourite song in Canadian English? ;) I’d have to say The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot. Classic Canadian folk song about a tragic shipwreck on the Great Lakes. I’m not sure I know any songs in Quebecois French...

13: We buy/sell milk in plastic bags. Everything here is Metric, which is fine with Europeans, but confuses Americans. Hockey is a national religion - during the last Winter Olympics, almost every bar and pub in Toronto opened at 6 AM so people could watch the gold medal game, and the city more or less shut down for the street party after our team won. And the politeness/apology thing is true. Just last week I was stuck in a door with three people all apologising and insisting that everyone else go first...

16; I hate the stereotype of being “like Americans, only nicer”, partly because I don’t want to be anything like American are behaving right row, and partly because that “niceness” is so often just a veneer. Underneath we can be just as mean, petty, douchey, nasty, and vicious as anyone else in the world. We just do it politely. That said, the politeness stereotype is true. A Canadian will stab you in the back, but do it *politely*. The only place that the politeness breaks down is on the hockey rink. Actually, the hockey-fiend stereotype is probably true too. I’m not even into hockey, but I can still turn into a fiend at a game.

20: Hockey. That’s it.

29: There are sort of three national beefs. First, everyone hates Toronto, for being the BIG CITY, Northern New York, and how people from Toronto seem to act like they’re too good for the rest of the country. I lived there for 20 years, and mostly loved it, so I’m not in much of a place to comment. Beef #2 is between Quebec and the rest of the country. It *IS* a bit odd having one province with a different official language than the rest of the country, but the real problam is that every so often seperatist extremists will get the people all riled up, and they’ll talk about seperating from Canada. Which is actually not a good idea for anyone, but it happens. We even had a Quebecois terrorist crisis back in the 70′s, and our current Prime Minister Trudeau’s father, Pierre, who was PM at the time, declared martial law in Quebec to try to end it. That was pretty wild. Especially considering that the Trudeaus are Quebecois themselves. Beef #3 is more low grade, and has to do with environmentalists vs. Alberta, the province which has grown rich on oil extraction and exports. They’ve sort of got a reputation as “Canada’s Texas”, and are indeed a praire province where people wear stetsons and cowboy boots, tend toward conservative politics, and more literal forms of Christianity. I’ve heard of  protesters at Pride events in Alberta, whereas Pride is the biggest, most lucrative event in Toronto every year. BIG contrast. 

I think that’s it! At least off the top of my spiky little head... I hope it’s been enlightening and entertaining! :D

[elitehoe]

KENNY HAS NEW SPARKLY GEAR 😍😍